Not Applicable
The present invention generally relates to a control pedal for a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a control pedal for a motor vehicle which is selectively adjustable to desired positions.
Control pedals are typically provided in a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, which are foot operated by the driver. Separate control pedals are provided for operating brakes and an engine throttle. When the motor vehicle has a manual transmission, a third control pedal is provided for operating a transmission clutch. A front seat of the motor vehicle is typically mounted on tracks so that the seat is forwardly and rearwardly adjustable along the tracks to a plurality of positions so that the driver can adjust the front seat to the most advantageous position for working the control pedals.
This adjustment method of moving the front seat along the tracks generally fills the need to accommodate drivers of various size, but it raises several concerns. First, this adjustment method still may not accommodate all drivers due to very wide differences in anatomical dimensions of drivers. Second, the position of the seat may be uncomfortable for some drivers. Therefore, it is desirable to have an additional or alternate adjustment method to accommodate drivers of various size.
Many proposals have been made to selectively adjust the position of the control pedals relative to the steering wheel and the front seat in order to accommodate drivers of various size. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,632,183, 5,697,260, 5,722,302, 5,819,593, 5,937,707, and 5,964,125, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, each disclose an adjustable control pedal assembly. These control pedal assemblies include a hollow guide tube, a rotatable screw shaft coaxially extending within the guide tube, a nut in threaded engagement with the screw shaft and slidable within the guide tube, and a control pedal rigidly connected to the nut. The control pedal is moved forward and rearward when an electric motor rotates the screw shaft to translate the nut along the screw shaft within the guide tube. While these control pedal assemblies may adequately adjust the position of the control pedal to accommodate drivers of various size, these control pedal assemblies are relatively complex and expensive to produce. The relatively high cost is particularly due to the quantity of high-precision machined parts such as, for example, the guide tube and due to the quantity of welded joints.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,643,525 and 3,643,524, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, disclose adjustable control pedal assemblies which are much less expensive to produce. These control pedal assemblies include an upper arm having a horizontal slot, a rotatable screw shaft attached to the upper arm and extending along the slot, a nut in threaded engagement with the screw shaft and having a pin slidable within the slot, and a control pedal rigidly connected to the nut. The control pedal is moved forward and rearward when an electric motor rotates the screw shaft to translate the nut along the screw shaft. While these control pedal assemblies may adequately adjust the position of the control pedal to accommodate drivers of various size and are inexpensive to produce relative to the previously described assemblies, these control pedal assemblies require a relatively large amount of space and there is a never ending desire to reduce the production costs.
Additionally, each of the control pedal assemblies may be prone to operational problems due to contamination be dust and/or other foreign material or members interfering with the drive components. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved adjustable control pedal assembly which selectively adjusts the position of the pedal to accommodate drivers of various size, is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, and is highly reliable to operate.
The present invention provides a control pedal assembly which overcomes at least some of the above-noted problems of the related art. According to the present invention, an adjustable control pedal includes, in combination, an upper support forming a hollow interior space and a pedal arm having a lower end carrying a pedal. The pedal arm has an upper end extending into the interior space and supported by the upper support within the interior space for selected movement relative to the upper support. A drive assembly is operatively connected to the pedal arm to selectively move the lower arm relative to the upper support. The drive assembly includes a drive screw supported for rotational motion within the interior space of the upper support and a drive nut adapted for axial movement along the drive nut in response to rotational motion of the drive screw. The drive nut is operatively connected to the pedal arm to axially move the pedal arm along the drive screw with the drive nut upon rotation of the drive screw.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an adjustable control pedal includes an upper support forming a hollow interior space. The upper support has a pair opposed side walls partially forming the interior space and opposed flanges inwardly extending into the interior space from the side walls. A pedal arm has a lower end carrying a pedal and an upper end provided with at least one guide pin slidingly supported by the opposed flanges for selected movement of the pedal arm relative to the upper support. A drive assembly is operatively connected to the pedal arm to selectively move the lower arm relative to the upper support. The drive assembly includes a drive screw supported for rotational motion within the interior space of the upper support and a drive nut adapted for axial movement along the drive screw within the interior space in response to rotational motion of the drive screw. The drive nut is operatively connected to the pedal arm to axially move the pedal arm along the drive screw with the drive nut upon rotation of the drive screw.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an adjustable control pedal includes a molded-plastic upper support forming a hollow interior space. The upper support has a pair opposed side walls partially forming the interior space and opposed flanges inwardly extending into the interior space from the side walls. The flanges are molded-in flanges unitary with the upper support. A pedal arm has a lower end carrying a pedal and an upper end provided with at least one guide pin slidingly supported by the opposed flanges for selected movement of the pedal arm relative to said upper support. A drive assembly is operatively connected to the pedal arm to selectively move the lower arm relative to the upper support. The drive assembly includes a drive screw supported for rotational motion within the interior space of the upper support, a gear mechanism located within the interior space and operatively connected to the drive screw for rotating the drive screw, and a drive nut adapted for axial movement along the drive screw within the interior space in response to rotational motion of the drive screw. The upper support includes unitary molded-in journals supporting the gear mechanism. The drive nut is operatively connected to the pedal arm to axially move the pedal arm along the drive screw with the drive nut upon rotation of the drive screw.
From the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various preferred embodiments it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the technology and art of adjustable control pedal assemblies. Particularly significant in this regard is the potential the invention affords for providing a high quality, light weight, reliable, low cost assembly which is compact and contamination resistant. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.